Following the mighty tumble taken by the Celtic Tiger in the early 'oughts, John Hartnett, a founder of SVG Partners in Silicon Valley, and Michael Hasenstab, global bonds CIO at Franklin Templeton, saw opportunity for Irish entrepreneurship and investment.

Though he eschews monikers such as "The Man Who Bought Ireland," 40-year-old Hasenstab's funds did indeed purchase more than $9 billion (yes, that's a "b") of Ireland's debt in 2011.

"This was a situation of great long-term opportunity as a country was experiencing a short-term credit crunch," explained Hasenstab. "But my personal observation is, what defines a people is how they perform during adversity. And the strength of the Irish has set an example for the world."

So these local champions of the Ould Sod were honored March 7 at the annual American Ireland Fund Dinner at the St. Francis Hotel. The haute hooley, emceed by SFPD Chief Greg Suhr, raised $400K for AIF's charitable programs in Ireland.

"With so many tech companies basing their headquarters in Dublin, Ireland is becoming the Silicon Valley of Europe," said Hartnett. "It's a great exchange, especially for young Irish, like Patrick and John Collison, who moved to the valley and started Stripe, an online payment technology which is not only creating jobs here but is valued at $1.75 billion."

Via video, Hartnett was toasted by Secretary of State John Kerryand Irish rugby captain Paul O'Connell. His eyes welled up as he paid tribute to his wife, Helen Hartnett, and their family, who are living the California dream. Yet his heart remains true to Munster.

"The Irish are returning home as investors and entrepreneurs," he enthused. "And Ireland is the comeback kid of the world."

Jeepers peepers: Sexy specs were crystal clear last week as Oliver Peoples, the California-created eyewear empire, unveiled its first San Francisco boutique on Grant Avenue.

But even with the same last name, shooting at this national and California historic landmark is no slam dunk.

"Well, I wanted to marry Amanda," joked founder and Creative Director Larry Leight. "In lieu of that, we came up with this campaign, which marries Amanda's classic California beauty with the castle's iconic Old Hollywood inspirational design."

And the foundation, which includes among its directors Hearst's mom, Anne Hearst McInerney, also received a $250K bump last month from Lady Gaga, who filmed both a water conservation PSA and a music video in one of the castle's famed pools.

Which is not really a digression as we were dying to know, what in the heck is it like to swim in the storied Neptune Pool?

"Well, it's only heated by the sun, so it's really cold," said Hearst, with a laugh. "Even though our family visits Hearst Castle once a year, filming the campaign in this unbelievable place my great-grandfather built was surreal." This article has been corrected since it appeared in print editions.